Selene Ashcroft
|english voice= Elizabeth Maxwell |image gallery= No }} Selene Ashcroft (セレーネ·アシュクロフト, Serēne Ashukurofuto) is a mage of the legal guild Swan Hymn — headed by the infamous Wizard Saint, Nolan Houdini; she was formally classified as an S-Class Independent Mage due to her loner nature and her various accomplishments. Originally from a town in the country of Midi, it was razed to the ground in an invasion by Demons — most of the inhabitants either dead or gone missing, including her parents; she was recorded to be one of it few survivors. From then on, she traveled the world to hone her skills in order exact revenge against the race that caused her much grief & suffering. As she faced various opponents, she gained various monikers — one of which was associated with her swordsmanship, "Azure War Maiden" (蒼戦姫, Sōsenki). She's known to be a fellow master of Nature Magic because of her love for nature and various fauna — especially azure-colored flowers; this lead to the development of a certain spell which earned her another moniker, "Blossom Princess" (花姫, Hanahime). It's said that she uses it in conjunction with her unique weapon, making her a force to be reckoned with. Currently, she wanders Earth Land — exterminating various Demons, capturing infamous criminals & Dark Mages, & bringing peace to various parts of the continents. Due to her somewhat wrathful nature against Demons and Dark Mages, using Emerald Magic to either severely cripple or outright destroy them ever since joining Swan Hymn, she's earned yet another moniker — "Emerald Swan of Justified Retribution" (詰め罰の碧色鳥, Tsumebatsu no Heisokucho). Interestingly enough, it's known that she's closely affiliated with another fellow Wizard Saint — the two being close friends. However, their current relationship at this time is unknown — as the two work on very different ends. She often comes to his assistance when the time calls for it and vice-versa. It's said that she's mastered Light Magic to further signify their relationship — the former recorded as Earth Land's most powerful light-based mage, while assisting her new partner, Annis Pendragon — a Dragon Slayer who skillfully utilizes the element in her combat style. Appearance "Beautiful", "Elegant", "Graceful". There are many words used to describe this woman, but none can accurately describe her beauty which somewhat clashes with her personality. Having been gifted with looks comparable to a Venus, Selene is known to be a very attractive individual. This is one of her most defining traits as a person, often gaining the envy & praise of those around her. It's stated that most of her epithets are tied to her appearances, most noticeable one being "Blossom Princess" (花姫, Hanahime) — many state that her use of her signature spell augments her regal appearance. However, despite the various comments made about her, she states that she doesn't care so much for appearances since it doesn't make the person. As stated before, Selene has traits that made her comparable to a Venus — one of the most depicted figures of absolute feminine beauty. This is seen in her fair and delicate skin, being smooth to the touch and possessing a lighter tone. She also possesses long, flowing, flaxen hair that reaches down to her waist; being black in color, it possesses a dark navy-blue tint. People note that whenever the sun shines on her hair, such a color become more brilliant and recognizable, gaining a sheen that makes parts of her hair glisten. Similar to most forms of fauna found in nature, she has spring-green eyes; this is seen as ironically perfect, as it matches her love for nature & the spring season. However, due to being injured during the demon invasion incident in the past, she only has one eye remaining. It's said that it changes to an azure color when she uses her signature spell; this is caused by her body's reaction to being exposed to the spell's immense powers. Tall, curvy, & slim, she possesses a nice and stable build for a woman of her age & occupation; she also has a busty figure — known to possesses a bigger cup size than most women. While having a constantly stern look on her face that's caused by various incidents in her past & the hardships she's went through, it's known to possess delicate features — having no wrinkles & mainly shown by her silky smooth lips. Her attire is stated to be a compliment to her given physical features while matching her loose affiliation to her childhood friend — Percival Daywalker, who wears something similar as a representation to his loyalty to both Midi and the Magic Council. Taking the form a white naval military uniform — as seen in the blue shoulder lapels outlined in gold, it possesses features that makes it look like it was made by the hands of a wealthy & experienced tailor. It seems to be form-fitting, as it doesn't constrict Selene's movements or breathing while outlining her body — exposing her busty figure. It seems to be gold-lining all over the uniform in various patterns — seen mainly in the collar & frontal portions, possessing four pairs of gold buttons near the front. The ends seem to be serrated in some form of pattern, with a black-striped blue piece sticking out of the edges. One of the noticeable traits about this uniform is the two pairs of emerald-colored lacrima located on the ends of the sleeves & near the hips — both of which is surrounded in an elegant gold pattern. Selene states that they are filled with magic and is used as a medium for her Emerald Magic. Near the upper part of her uniform, there are patterns of blue-colored roses, which are also surrounded by gold linings. While she wears a white short skirt with golden edges — possessing two golden circle ornaments on one of the creases, she wears a black body suit underneath — which is also patterned in gold; this is mainly seen in leg parts, one gold stripe going down the middle. There seems to be a azure corset-like band on the left side of her leg; it's patterned in gold on the edges, while having golden designs in the middle, covering the entire band in circumferential manner. Apparently, the most unique part of this attire is the the flower ornaments found in her hair & near her shoulder. It's said to be from a species of fauna that never die and constantly feed off of magical power to maintain its beautiful & ethereal appearance. These flowers were given to her by Percival as a sign of their close relationship with another, thus have been with her ever since. Because she's lost an eye, she wears a black eyepatch that possesses a golden design to it; it's made of a soft & durable material, so it's comfortable to wear and doesn't get damaged as easily. Lastly, underneath the flower ornament in her hair, she ties part of her in an azure band — letting it hang over her shoulder. Personality Selene is described as a person who has a certain amount of elegance about her, matched only by her beauty; this often led others to mistake her as someone of a higher class — even though such is not the case, as she has a humble background. Because of the various circumstances in her life, it's shaped her into the person she is today. In fact, one of her core beliefs is that a person is shaped by their thoughts and actions, not by their outer appearances; she also believes in redemption, as most people can be cleansed of their previous sins, such as the case with her trusted partner, Annis Pendragon — despite knowing of her former status as a Dark Mage, formerly working under the notorious Dark Guild, Dragon Soul. Thus, one could say that Selene is a person who's not all for looks, as such can be deceiving — something she learned at various instances of her lifetime. Despite her silence and somewhat-coldness towards others, she's known to have a kinder personality; this is mainly due to her desire of helping those around her while not getting too close to them. She fears that those close to her will be put in danger because of her actions, as she's known to have many enemies — which is accurate because of her (former) reputation as a Bounty Hunter & Freelance Enforcer for the Magic Council. Thus, she helps people indirectly — interfering on another's behalf without being seen by others outside of her intended target. It's also because of her apparent silence and coldness that she tends to be anti-social at times; this tends to lead to her being misinformed about certain people or events, thus leading to her making minor mistakes or having certain misconceptions. An example would be her meeting with the current Queen of Fiore, Hisui E. Fiore, calling her "princess" — much to the latter's chagrin.Unexpected Visitors This can make her seem rather dense at times, something she's not consciously aware of. It's only when she's alerted of such mistakes by her peers, that she becomes aware — blushing in embarrassment as a result; this causes her to be laughed as others as a result while becoming self-conscious for a short time.Unexpected Visitors Her kindness towards others and her desire to help those around her is due to a promise that she made with her childhood friend, Percival Daywalker — a Rune Knight Branch Leader and one of the famed Ten Wizard Saints; the two swore to help those around them while helping to purge the world of evil & injustice. However, because of the suffering that she's been through, her view of the vow is vastly different than that of Percival's — as seen in some of her actions that she uses to fulfill it. She's a believer of the concept "Destruction of the bigger evil with a lesser evil", fully knowing that evil will still exist regardless of the actions taken to prevent it from happening. Thus, she's willing to torture, maim, and even kill those who are deemed to be a threat to the innocent social order. At such times, she becomes cold-hearted and uncaring — only focusing on what needs to be done. This would often lead to her comparing herself to Percival — whose known for his innocence & innate purity, feeling disgusted with herself as a result and yearning to attempt an inner change to become more like him. She's known to be a woman of her vows, always keeping to them despite the circumstances. While this shows her loyal side, it also reflect her obstinance — doing any and all things to fulfill them. This can be seen as a good and bad trait of hers because she would often get injured unnecessarily and end up in awkward situations. However, despite all this she doesn't care as long as the people around her are happy. It's known that one of the reasons she's joined Swan Hymn is because of the vow she made to Nolan Houdini — wanting to aid him in his goals. However, this can also be seen as a somewhat of a double-standard, as his goals coincide with her own to an extent. When joining Swan Hymn, she's known to have developed a more stricter personality — being off-put by the other guild member's lackadaisical and blasé attitudes; this would often leading to her scolding them in some manner. However, this is done out of good intentions, as she holds all of them in high regard; this holds to be especially true with Nolan, the person who recruited her. The only exception is Trey Dravolos, who she dislikes heavily because of his perverted nature; there are times where she ignores his existence entirely. One of Selene's most common personality traits is her abhorrence towards Demons and Dark Mages; in her eyes, they are the scum that plague the earth, causing endless suffering to those around them. As Demons were the sole reason that Selene had suffered for such a long time, she shows absolutely no mercy towards them or anyone affiliated with them. It's more of a trauma if anything, as Selene have slight hints of fear when confronting such creatures. This contrasts with her calm & more collected self when facing other opponents. It's known that she will find ways to make a demon suffer in the worst way as form of venting her fears and pent-up frustration; this makes her seem cruel and sadistic, but in her eyes, it's an extreme form of justice — believing that they should suffer in the same way they caused others to suffer. With Dark Mages, though they're still human, there are some that can be as cruel as demons. Selene noted that there were certain Dark Mages that she encountered in the past that caused as much suffering as a Demon would. Thus, she would often apply the same amount of cruelty and irrationality towards them — even if they were to die in the process. However, with others, she would note that they were either incompetent or weak — thus used underhanded tactics to gain the upper-hand; this would lead to her heavily beating them half to death, chastising them afterwards before handing them off to the Rune Knights. In short, she mainly has negative opinions about such a group — most of which are well-deserved. Selene is commonly associated with various aspects of nature and the season of spring; this is seen with many of her given titles, most of which is associated with such a time. This is due to her love of nature, especially certain types of fauna; this is seen with her signature spell, which makes use of flower petals for combat. She loves gardening and an avid supporter of nature protection groups and projects — believing that true beauty can be found in nature. She often gets beside herself when she sees someone vandalizing the natural surroundings in some way, often going out of her way to brutally put them in their place. Most of her time, when she's not at the guild or on one of her various missions, she would spend time to restore damaged fauna and wildlife using her magical power. It's also because of her interest in nature, that she has so much knowledge pertaining to it. This is helpful survival skill, as it allows her to survive in the wild for long periods of time. History Selene's life is one of relative peace, having nothing of major influence happen to it. Yet. It's known that she grew up in a village in Midi — one of the few countries with a matriarchal rule since its founding; she grew up with her grandparents — her parents dying from an unknown illness when she was younger, and was childhood friends with Percival Daywalker — one heralded as the strongest Light Magic user and the youngest future member of the Ten Wizard Saints. It's known that the two were very close to on another, swearing to protect each other should anything happen; due to Percival's nature, the two made many friends and garnered the admiration of the adults around them. Later on, Selene's village was under attack by various Demons & Dark Mages; this was due to the machinations of Sin — the country wanting to weaken it in some fashion, making it easier to invade. It's unknown that happened to Percival, but everyone in the village sans Selene herself was annihilated & the surroundings utterly torn asunder; it was miraculous that she survived, despite suffering from severe and possibly life-threatening injuries. After seeing the carnage wrought about by the creatures, she fell into utter grief — cursing not only her persecutors, but her own powerlessness. From then on, she swore her vengeance — vowing to obtain power through any means, while maintaining her personal form of justice; by the time the Midian Royal Army arrived, she had long left the place she once called home. After a few weeks of nursing her wounds, she wandered Earthland for many years to come. It's known that during this time, many aspects of Selene had grown — her knowledge of the world, her beauty — noted to be likened to that of nature, and her power — mastering many forms of magic and gaining victory in many of her battles, gaining the ire of some of her opponents — noted to be more skilled than her. This garnered the attention of the Magic Council, who hired her as one their Bounty Hunters; agreeing to such a position — seeing it as an opportunity to execute her form of justice on others, she continued to wander Earthland, capturing many criminals and slaying various Dark Mages and Demons — especially those affiliated with Sin, the source of her suffering, all the while collecting the spoils. While she garnered more and more fame for herself, she started to feel empty inside; she realized that it isn't the justice she and Percival strove for — what she's doing is akin to Sin's actions, something that disgusted her very much. At that point, she retired from her position — handing in a letter of resignation. From then on, she went on a journey to find herself and re-new her resolves. At some point, she met Nolan Houdini — a current member of the Wizard Saints and the founder & current Guild Master of Swan Hymn — one of the few guilds sanctioned and has small ties with the Magic Council; after a brief bout, she decided to join said guild — seeing it as a way to help her find what she was looking for. She also garnered some form of respect for Nolan, seeing him as an honorable and virtuous man. Upon introduction to the rest of the guild members, she was partnered up with Annis Pendragon — a former member of the infamous Dark Guild, Dragon Soul; it was a guild that even Selene was familiar with, having battled its Guild Ace some time prior — having no winner in the end. Despite her hatred for Dark Mages and Demons, she sees Annis as a lifelong friend — taking note of her resolve to seek repentance, something most Dark Mages she's encountered refused to do when given the opportunity. The two worked closely with one another while having an intimate relationship — sharing things with each other that they wouldn't tell to another person. As time passed by, Selene became ecstatic at Percival's survival and his current position as a Wizard Saint; this caused her to work much harder than prior, all for the sake of their shared vision. At this point, she's full of hope — something that's more of an improvement in-comparison with her younger self, who's noted to be heavily influenced by the tragic events of her childhood. Equipment Lavias (蒼魔殺花身姫 (ラヴィアス), Raviasu; lit. "Azure Demon-Killing Flower Blade Princess"): Lavias is the personal weapon of Selene — crafted with her own hands using the material given to her by an unknown blacksmith upon assisting him with an alarmingly dangerous errand. She states that it took her three days to assemble the weapon and a few months to master it. From then on, it became a staple to her fighting style, often mixed in with her use of her other magics. Regal in appearance, Lavias is a weapon unlike any other; it's classified as a Wild Card Set Revolver-Blade (突飛札対短銃剣, Toppi Fudatsui Tanjūken) — meaning it's a unique and elegant hybrid between a revolver and a . It's more commonly labelled as a "Magic-Killing Tool" (魔導駆器, Madōkugi) — which is able to destroy most forms of magic that it makes contact with. Taking the form of a large deep navy blue Ōdachi, it's incredibly wide due to it inheriting the width of a normal revolver. On the edges is the blade portion of the weapon, noted to be incredibly sharp; if one looks closer, there are various lines located inches apart along the blade, having twelve in total. Near the handle portion of the weapon, the blade slightly spikes up in a mountain-like formation; underneath it is the insignia in the shape of a golden flower. Jutting out of the upper portions of the blade are various golden thrusters, having small golden designs underneath them and four ornate symbols occupying the large space in between each of them; they work in conjunction with the detachable golden bullet chamber located at the base of the weapon, activating every time a bullet from the chamber is used. They help accelerate Selene's swings, adding more power behind them. Not only that, it's possible to create powerful shockwaves of energy through this method, which is able to absorb other forms of energy when making contacting with its person — empowering itself even further, thus able to cause more damage. It's because of this reason that it was dubbed as a "Magic-Killing Tool"; this mainly applies to magic which makes use of pure energy, the most common ones being Elemental Magic. It's unknown if it applies to other magic, but Selene hinted that through this same function that she's able to break down & absorb the bonds holding various magics and spells together, causing them to fall apart as a result. The bullets used in the mechanism are created through the emerald-based lacrima on her sleeves, acting as a storage space of sorts; it's unknown how many they can create at a time, but Selene states that it's proportionate to her magical energy. In order to disengage the revolver mechanism and re-load the bullets into the chamber, Selene would have to pull on the golden lever on the tsuba — the shape of which resembles that of one found on a rapier, ornate in design. It's said that whenever Selene uses a bullet, the parts of the blade will glow azure in color — signalling its activation. The handle is long, being dual-toned; gold on the left side and a deep blue on the right. In between them are holes, all of which are the same size; at the end, there's a golden ring jutting outward. Despite the weapon being extremely heavy to carry, Selene is able to wield it with no problem. In fact, she mainly carries it around with a single hand; in the hands of others, they need two to simply lift it — let alone swing it around. The reason for this is that Selene stated that it has a custom recognition system implanted into its core; it will increase in weight if wielded by anyone other than Selene, unless she gives permission for them to utilize it via. a certain command sequence only known to her. It's noted that the blade is most-fitting in the hands of someone like Selene, as it matches her both in appearance and power — something that's commented about her quite often. Magics & Abilities Physical Abilities Ways of Combat Magical Prowess Other Skills Quotes *''"It's excellent to be working with you, Ms. Pendragon. I've heard about you from the rumors. I will not pry into your personal business, as it can such a heavy burden to talk about with another individual — especially one you've just met. However, I will advise you that don't let such things weigh you down on the road ahead. Remember, we're here for a greater purpose — one that must be done at all costs. There will be times where we may get our hands dirty, but we must grin and bear it. We can't become people who bring chaos to the natural order of things. If we did.... Such a thought shouldn't cross the mind. Anyways, let's hope we can be together for a while."'' — Selene to Annis Pendragon after becoming partners. *''"I wonder how he's doing. I've heard many good things about him. Recently, he became a Wizard Saint, just like Nolan. Not only that, he's vanquished many forms of evil and saved many lives since we've parted ways. It seems that he's making a good name for himself while developing his skills. Not only that, he's making more and more friends & allies that depend on each other. I couldn't be more proud of him. Maybe I should reward him for his efforts the next time we meet."'' — Upon thinking about a certain individual. *''"Despicable! You really don't know the severity of your actions, do you? Of course you don't. Your kind never does. You take and take without any disregard for those around you. Well, let me remind you. You robbed innocent civilians, vandalized much property with your magic, threatened the lives of many bystanders during you escape attempt, and even tried to blackmail me — although failing horribly, since..... you have nothing on me to begin with. The last one, I'll forgive because of your ignorance. However, the other three will not be forgotten so easily. As I beat you to a bloody pulp, repent on your actions so you may never pull a stunt like this again."'' — Selene brutally chastising a Dark Mage for his actions. *''"You've been with me for quite a while. We've faced many so many trials and tribulations together, all so that we could fulfill our goal of annihilating every vile Demon & Dark Mage we could get our hands on while slowly making the world a better place. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be what I am today. For that, I thank you dearly from the depths of my heart. Now, let's keep working together so that our dreams could be achieved."'' — Upon having a private conversation with her weapon. *''"Let me purge you of your sins!"'' (私自分の罪のことを削除う！, Watashi Jibun no Tsumi no Koto o Sakujou!) — Selene's most famed quote. Trivia *This character is technically the first legal guild member character the author has ever made since coming onto this site, despite his time here and edit count. This is due to him not wanting to be involved with other people's guild unless it pertains to some sort of interest. *She's based off of Nagisa from the upcoming game, Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity. *The images for this character were provided by OmniKaiser. All credit goes to him. *The name of Selene's weapon is derived from the one of the same name from the Light Novel series, Madan Ou to Vanadis. References Category:Female Category:Females Category:Sword Magic User Category:Sword User Category:Characters Category:Original Characters Category:Mage Category:Articles in process Category:Legal Guild Member Category:Legal Mages Category:Independent Mage Category:Caster Mage Category:Holder Mage Category:Gun User Category:Requip User Category:Light Magic User Category:Non-Storyline Category:Under Construction Category:Alphy's Character Lineup Category:Olphion Completed Gallery